


Double Trouble

by Marz_Attag



Series: Double Trouble [2]
Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Henelope brotp, Parallel Universes, posie - Freeform, side Hizzie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2021-04-01
Packaged: 2021-04-25 23:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22348984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marz_Attag/pseuds/Marz_Attag
Summary: The sequel to the "Trilateral Tournament"5 months after the events that took place in the Trilateral Tournament, Professor Penelope Park has decided to stay and teach at the Salvatore School, while Hope Mikaelson is still at the Mikaelson Boarding School in New Orleans.Their only worry is finding the perfect ring and planning the perfect proposal - well, that's Hope's only worry, Penelope has decided to be as unhelpful as possible.Only problem is, they can't help staying out of trouble, or maybe trouble always seem to find them.They find themselves in a parallel world where their sixteen year old counterparts are the worst ! Said sixteen year-olds would retort that the older versions of themselves are complete idiots.Who's right? Which duo will mess things even more? What happened to unbalance the natural order of things?Read to find out !But first make sure to read the Trilateral Tournament and especially the epilogue..
Relationships: Penelope Park & Josie Saltzman, Penelope Park/Josie Saltzman
Series: Double Trouble [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1608730
Comments: 116
Kudos: 409





	1. "They... hate us."

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone !  
Before reading this story, I highly suggest you read part 1 of this series "The Trilateral Tournament". If you've already read TT, make sure you read the Epilogue (chap 19) I added a few days ago. 
> 
> I was overwhelmed by the positive response to the TT, so I wanted to thank you by bringing you some more of those two idiots. Hope you'll enjoy this story too.
> 
> This sequel to the TT takes place a few months after the end of the attack, and is mainly focused on Penelope and Hope's newest adventure.

“Miss Mikaelson?”

Hope can hear someone calling her name. She also hears other, quieter voices, whispering, but she keeps her eyes closed trying to fight her piercing headache. 

“Miss Mikaelson?” The voice insists, closer, louder, impatient.

Hope blinks her eyes open feeling disoriented, her mouth dry. She massages her temple in a futile attempt to make the pain go away. As her vision slowly begins to return, she takes her surroundings and instantly wishes she hadn’t opened her eyes. 

The first thing she registers is that she’s in a classroom at the Salvatore school.

Tough that’s not really surprising.

What is unexpected is that instead of standing at the front of the classroom facing eager-to-learn students, she’s sitting at a desk looking at a rather unamused Dorian Williams in full teacher-mode.

Hope gulps. She looks down at her clothes and groans out loud at the school uniform she’s wearing.

Is this a dream? Why would she dream about her school days?

“Miss Mikaelson, so glad my lecture didn’t make you fall asleep.” Dorian says, eyes narrow and a sarcastic grin on his face. “Now that I have your attention, can you tell me how else is Wolfsbane known?”

“Aconite and Blue Rocket”

“Holy shit!” Hope can’t hold back her surprise as she turns around at the sound of her best friend’s voice. Penelope is sitting a couple of rows behind her, her piercing green eyes wide open. 

Hope lets out a surprised gasp when she takes in Penelope's appearance, because staring back at her is a sixteen-year-old Penelope dressed in a Salvatore school’s student uniform. 

Her best friend who never went to school with her!

“Miss Mikaelson!”

“Sorry Dorian.”

Dorian arches an eyebrow as he looks at her, arms crossed on his chest.

Hope shakes her head at herself, willing herself to wake up from this weird dream – well, more like nightmare - she’s having.

“Sorry Mister Williams. Sir.” Penelope’s voice startles her out of her stupor, again.

This feels so real. She’s not… dreaming? 

“What the hell is going on?!” Hope exclaims. 

“Hope, shut up.” Penelope hisses.

“That’s enough! Miss Park, Miss Mikaelson, I think you both know what to do by now.”

Penelope and Hope share a look before turning their attention to Dorian looking at him even more confused.

“Just go to the Headmaster’s office, I’m sure he’s expecting you both.”

*

“I can’t believe I’m being send to the Headmaster’s office!” Penelope mutters a look of absolute outrage on her face.

Hope shakes her head in disbelief. Any other time she would’ve been amused by Penelope’s statement and state of mortification, but not today. “I need your brain to focus!”

Penelope sighs. “Right. What the hell is going on here?”

Hope holds up her arms in defense. “Why do you make it sound like this situation is my fault?” 

“I don’t know, is it?”

“Hell no! Why would I willingly go back to school? Do you remember teenage-me? Antisocial? Falling for Lizzie while dating Landon thus distancing myself from my only friend at school?” Hope gives a sarcastic laugh. “Oh yeah, I’d love to relive that period of time.”

Hope rolls her eyes. “Besides, this is not our past, since you were never a student here.”

Penelope nods agreeing. “So, a parallel world?”

“Is that even possible?”

“You’re a tribrid, one of your kind. Want to talk about what’s possible?”

Hope scoffs. “Another reality where we’re – what - sixteen again? I can’t believe I have to go to class again! Talk about a nightmare.”

*

Hope forces herself not to grin in amusement when she sees that Penelope has completely zoned out of Dr. Saltzman’s lecture about their behavior. Apparently being send to the Headmaster’s office was a weekly occurrence for their counterparts.

Hope inwardly sighs when Dr. Saltzman’s lecture seems to come on an end, happy to get out of his office as soon as possible.

“What about my grades?” Penelope interrupts and Hope shoots her a dirty look.

“Your grades?”

“Yes Ri-Dr. Saltzman, how am I doing in school?”

“You’re top of your class Penelope, even giving Josie a run for her money.” Hope sees the proud little smirk on Penelope’s face before she hides it and, she has to fight the urge to smack her best friend. “It’s not your work I have a problem with, it’s your attitude.” Dr. Saltzman adds before launching into another lecture about power and responsibility and focus and … - this is a nightmare, thinks Hope as she zones out again.

*

Once they’ve finally left the Headmaster’s office, Hope gives into her urge to smack Penelope on the arm. “We’re in another dimension and all you care about are your grades?”, Hope hisses. 

“What? Education is important. Besides I want to know what kind of person I’m in this world.”

“Arrogant?” Hope says goading Penelope into getting a reaction out of her.

“I’d say ‘confident’.”

“Try ‘cocky’.” Hope smirks amused at how easy it is to rile Penelope up.

Penelope narrows her eyes. “Self-assured.”

Hope can’t help but smile at Penelope, bumping her shoulder into hers gently, happy that despite the situation, her best friend is with her.

Penelope lets out a deep breath before she speaks a serious look overtaking her face. “A parallel world… How did we even get here?” Penelope thinks about her own question for a moment before carrying on. “Something must’ve happened to unbalance the natural – what the hell?”

“What is it?” Hope asks, her voice taking on a frantic tone, as she starts to panic. She looks around for a monster of some sort, her arm raised, ready to fire a spell. 

Hope sneaks a look at Penelope out of the corner of her eye, hoping to get a clue about what made the black-haired witch stop mid-sentence, but Penelope holds herself rigid, shoulders tense, her face as white as a ghost. The only movement coming from her rapidly blinking eyes as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Hope follows her line of sight to the end of the corridor where two young students seem to be arguing.

“Hey, what’s wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost.”

Penelope doesn’t seem to hear her as she abruptly surges forward. She halts her movements as abruptly just before she reaches the two children who are too engrossed in their argument to pay her any attention.

Their backs are turned but Hope can see it’s boy and a girl, around ten years-old, probably related judging from both of their jet black-hair. Hope’s gaze travels from the children’s hair to Penelope’s and her eyes widen in surprise.

Penelope clears her throat. “P-Pe-Petra? Percy?” Penelope whispers, a crack audible at the end of her question.

Both children turn around at the sound of her voice. “Oh, hey Penelope.”

“We’re lost!” The young boy says giving Penelope a sheepish look.

The girl huffs at him. “We’re not lost Perce! We’re on our way to the Headmaster’s office.”

“Which we don’t know how to find, so I’d say we’re lost Petra.”

Hope places a gentle hand on Penelope’s arm, trying to convey as much comfort as possible through this simple touch. Penelope turns to face her, her eyes holding unshed tears, and Hope’s heart aches for her.

“Why are you going to the Headmaster’s office? Are you two in trouble?” Hope asks them, giving time to Penelope to pull herself together.

The children, Petra and Percy, wear identical smirks on their faces as they exclaim. “Double peas are never in trouble… We are trouble!”, before breaking into laughter.

Hope is surprised when Penelope lets out a snort of laughter. 

“I can’t believe I forgot you did this.” Penelope says a soft smile on her face. 

“So, Dr Saltzman’s office?”

“You don’t know where it is?” Hope intervenes again.

“It’s our first year…”

“Penelope showed us around school the first day,”

“Well, showed us around is stretching it a bit…she just took us to our room and told us to pretend we didn’t know her because she’s got an image to uphold,”

“and having younger siblings wasn’t part of that whole persona she spent years forging.”

Penelope eyes are glistening from barely contained tears. “I-I asked you to pretend not to know me?”

Petra and Percy look at each other before looking at Penelope in confusion. “Yeah.”

Penelope falls on her knees and wraps her arms around them, holding them close to her, burying her face in their hair.

“I don’t know what I was thinking. Forget I ever asked that, okay?”

“Okay.” They answer at the same time, their confusion growing.

“It’s so good to see you two. You’ve grown so much…” Penelope keeps her arms around them, fighting the urge to hold them close to her any longer as not to spook them. 

“You just saw us yesterday...” Percy says, bewilderment creeping into his eyes. 

“Actually, you passed us in the corridor and ignored us…”

“Sshh Petra, she’ll get upset with us.”

“You probably didn’t see us though.” Petra adds a fake smile on her face. She then mouths ‘Happy now’ to her brother who just rolls his eyes at her.

A sad smile comes onto Penelope’s face. “I’m sorry. I’ll pay more attention from now on.”

“Are you okay big P?” Percy asks his older sister

“Percy, sshh, you know she doesn’t want us to call her that!”

“You can call me whatever you want… as long as I get to call you… baby peas.” Penelope retorts a grin appearing on the corners of her lips.

The twins stare at each other, a silent conversation taking place between them, before they visibly deflate. “No nicknames at school, got it Penelope.” 

Penelope laughs, shaking her head, still unsure how to deal with seeing her younger siblings, alive and kicking. 

“Come on, we’ll walk you to Ric’s office.”

“Who’s Ric?”

“She meant Dr. Saltzman’s office.” 

*

Penelope stumbles and Hope’s arms come up to wrap around her holding her up.

Penelope shakes her head a few times, her mouth opening and closing but not managing to get any words out. She takes a deep breath.

“They’re… alive.” The words barely above a whisper. A surprised happiness crossing Penelope’s face. “Hope, they’re alive!”

Before Hope can answer, a familiar laughter makes them whip their heads towards the sound. Lizzie and Josie round the corner, books in their hands, Lizzie laughing about something and Josie talking to her sister a smile on her face.

A smile that disappears from her face as soon as she sees them.

“Yikes! That’s how diseases spread!” Lizzie exclaims disgust written all over her face as she looks at them.

“Let’s get out of here Josie.” Lizzie says pulling her sister back from where they came. Before they round the corner away from them, Josie glares back at Penelope eyes cold. And Penelope forgets how to breath.

“What the hell?”

“They… hate us.”

“No. Not us, them.”

“Them, right.”

“If we’re here, being them, are they in our world, being…us?”


	2. “They love… us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments and kudos!  
We're going to meet the other duo. I hope you can spot the differences between the 2 versions...

“They’re waking up.”

Josie looks down at Penelope’s figure lying on the couch. Penelope’s eyelids flicker open before closing again, a low groan escaping the witch’s lips. 

A similar sound comes from the other couch where Hope was also stirring back into consciousness and Josie looks at her sister, both of them finally exhaling with a sigh of relief.

Josie reaches her hand to brush a few strands of those black locks she loves so much from Penelope’s forehead.

“Hey there, you had me quite worried. How are you feeling?” Josie worries her lip between her teeth as Penelope cringes in pain and clutches her head.

“What happened?” Hope croaks her eyes still closed as she rubs at her forehead.

“We were hoping you’d tell us. Josie saw you clutching your heads before falling down next to your car. Raf and Jed carried you inside.”

“You’ve been out of it for almost ten minutes.” 

Penelope slowly props herself into a semi-sitting position. She waits a few seconds for the nausea to leave before finally opening her eyes.

“What the hell?” Penelope abruptly pulls away from Josie’s touch as if burned.

“What? What’s wrong?” Josie frowns, clearly taken aback by Penelope’s reaction upon opening her eyes.

Penelope opens and closes her mouth several times but no sound comes out, before finding her voice. “How- How old are you?!”

Josie’s frown deepens. She shares a confused look with her sister, before answering. “The same age I was this morning when you saw me… 25.” 

“What are you talking about?” Hope interjects incredulously. 

“Hope, baby, you’re scaring me…” Lizzie stares at Hope with concerned eyes.

“Baby?” Hope murmurs, her incredulous expression quickly replaced by a delighted one. “I’m your baby?” she asks giving Lizzie a dumb, soft smile as she looks up at her.

Lizzie nods.

Hope can’t hide the blush from taking over her face. “I’m your baby,” she chuckles.

“Are you al-“

“Sorry, we’re just a bit disoriented,” Penelope cuts Lizzie off. “Hey Jojo, can I get some water, please?”

Josie’s eyes widen, surprised, but she nods at Penelope and gets up. “Hope, don’t you want Lizzie to bring you something too?” 

Hope starts shaking her head when she catches Penelope’s not so subtle eye movement. “Um, yeah, some water and maybe something to eat? Thank you.”

The twins share a look before exiting Dr. Saltzman’s office.

*

“What the hell, Mikaelson?! 

Hope gapes at her, clearly taken aback by the accusation in Penelope’s voice. “Why do you make it sound like I had anything to do with… whatever this is?”

“You always get in trouble! You’re like a trouble-magnet!”

“That’s rich coming from you Park! You’re always plotting and scheming. How do I know this isn’t on you?”

“If this was ‘on me’, why on earth would I take you with me?” Penelope raises an eyebrow at her.

“Yeah, well I wouldn’t take you with me either.” Hope says in exasperation.

Penelope tilts her head as she takes a good look at Hope. “What the hell Mikaelson, you look… old.”

Hope shoots Penelope a dirty look. “You look older too smartass.” 

“Do I look good?” Penelope asks as she shoots up to her feet towards the mirror in Dr. Saltzman’s office. Hope comes to stand next to her taking in her own reflection.

“Damn, I look good. I must work out…I hate sports…” Penelope trails off as she lifts her blouse up a bit to reveal her stomach. “I have abs!”

Hope scowls at her. “Still an idiot though. Clothes on Park!”

Penelope rolls her eyes but covers herself. 

“What’s going on here? Last thing I remember is my head hurting more than usual when in Mister Williams class, and then waking up here.”

“I think we’re in the future.” Penelope replies. 

“The future, right.” Hope nods hesitantly. “How did we get here? Why are we here?”

“Who cares?” Penelope throws up her arms with an eye roll and a huff. “We just have to make the most of this situation.”

“What do you mean?”

Penelope has an exasperated expression on her face as she looks at Hope. “They love… us.” 

“Yeah.” Hope nods a dreamy smile on her face.

Penelope crosses her arms over chest, a smirk on her face. “You know what that means right? My plan worked! You should listen to me more Mikaelson, might learn a thing or two.”

Hope snorts and gives Penelope an unimpressed look. “I doubt your stupid plan got anything to do with that.”

“If it was so stupid, why did you agree to it?” Penelope challenges with a look and arched eyebrow that says she knows she just won this round.

Hope sighs exasperated. “We still have to figure out what we’re going to do.”

“We can’t tell them we’re from the past.”

Hope blinks in surprise. “Why not?”

“Because!”

Hope raises an eyebrow at Penelope as she waits for an explanation to her outburst.

“We’ll create a temporal paradox!”

Hope snorts. “Who knew you were such a nerd?”

“Shut up!” Penelope scoffs. 

Hope sighs relenting. “So, what are we going to tell them?”

“Tell us what?”

Penelope and Hope both startle, whipping their heads around to see the Saltzman sisters entering the office followed by their father, a loaded crossbow in his hand.

“Uh, nothing-” Penelope says at the same time as Hope speaks. “We’re in love with each other!”

“What?”

Josie, Lizzie and Penelope exclaim at the same time all three turning to look at Hope who cowered under the scrutiny. 

“Jojo, no! I swear on my mother’s head-”

Penelope doesn’t have time to finish her sentence before she’s flung across the room and pined on the opposing wall her feet dangling in the air. Hope follows soon after.

Hope and Penelope look back and forth between the Saltzman twins. Josie’s glowing hand is the one holding them in a magical grip.

“Jojo, what the hell are you doing?” Penelope manages to croak.

“Who are you?” Josie’s voice is barely above a whisper but it still sends a shiver down Penelope’s back.

“It’s me, Penelope.”

“No. Penelope has never called me Jojo.”

Penelope’s eyes widen a bit in surprise. “What do you mean I’ve never called you Jojo? I do it all the time. It’s our thing…” Penelope shakes her head. “I thought this was the future.”

“The future? What are you talking about?” Lizzie demands.

“We’re from the past!” Hope interjects. “We’re sixteen! I mean, we were sixteen just this morning. We had a class with Mister Williams. I was falling asleep in class like usual and the next moment I’m waking up here looking way older.”

“We’re supposed to believe… that?!”

“That’s the truth Joj-Josie!”

Josie and Lizzie exchange a look before looking at their father.

“I’ll bring the truth orb.” Dr Saltzman says, handing the crossbow to Lizzie. Josie lowers Penelope and Hope from the wall, her magical grip still present.

“We’ll see if you’re really telling the truth. I’m going to ask you a few questions, when the glass orb turns blue, it means you’re telling the truth. Red means you’re lying.”

***

“What’s your name?”

“Penelope Park” Penelope answers. “Hope Andrea Mikaelson,” Hope adds.

The glass orb turns bright blue.

“How old are you?”

“Sixteen.”

The glass orb turns bright blue.

“Do you mean us any harm?”

“No!”

The glass orb turns bright blue.

***

Dr. Saltzman puts the orb back in its box, closing the lid and sighs. The orb didn’t turn red once.

“See, we’re telling the truth!”

There’s a look that passes between Dr.Saltzman and his daughters. Josie lets go of her spell.

Lizzie swallows hard. “It seems like you are,” she pauses, “but…”

“What?” Hope prompts.

“You’re not from our past.”

“What are you talking about?” Hope manages to gasp.

“You said we’re not from your past.” Penelope shakes her head “You think we’re from another… reality? Like another world? A parallel world?”

Hope’s brow furrow. “That’s insane! Isn’t?

“Penelope was never a student here.”

“I wasn’t- she wasn’t? Why?” Penelope’s eyebrows knit in confusion at that new information about her older self.

“Another world? How on earth did we get here? How are we going to get back? We should call Penelope’s parents, her coven is a very powerful one.”

“I’ll call Freya.” Dr Saltzman says.

“Are you sure about calling my aunt?”

Dr. Saltzman looks at Hope curiously before answering. “If there’s anyone who can tells us what’s going on here, it’s definitely Freya.”

“And my parents.” Penelope adds.

Josie looks at her then, her eyes glistening with tears confusing Penelope even more. 

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

***

“I don’t believe you!” Penelope yells at Josie, her voice cracking. 

“I’m sorry Penelope, I know it’s a lot to take in, but-”

“Stop it! Stop lying to me!”

Josie flinches at Penelope’s scream. She walks towards her father’s office. She opens the lid and takes the orb out and holds it in her hand as she turns to face Penelope. She takes a deep breath. There are tears in her eyes as she repeats what she just told her.

“In this world, Penelope’s whole family, her parents, Petra and Percy, her coven, were killed when she was thirteen years old.” 

The glass orb turns bright blue.

Penelope drops on her knees, tears streaming down her face and Josie’s heart aches for her.


	3. “They’re not friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the love, it means the world to me!
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!

“Arrgh.” Penelope lets out a pained groan as she stumbles and almost falls but Hope’s reflexes manage to keep her up.

Hope’s eyes widen. “What? What’s wrong?”

Penelope breaths are heavy. “I have no idea. It’s like I’m being squished. I can hardly move.”

“Come on, hold on to me. We’re not far from your room.”

Hope puts her arm around Penelope’s waist and pushes their way through the crowd of students in the hallway. As they pass them, some of the other students look at them strangely. Had Hope’s attention not been completely focused on her best friend she’d probably hear them whisper under their breath.

“You can let go, I’m okay now.”

“Sure?” Hope doesn’t hide the doubt in her voice.

“Yeah. I feel totally fine now.”

Hope nods and removes her arm from Penelope’s waist. Penelope takes a few steps and, everything feels back to normal. 

She looks at Hope and shrugs. “Just another thing to add to the “what the hell is happening”-list I guess.”

Hope rolls her eyes and they resume walking. They’ve almost reached Penelope’s room when Penelope stops so abruptly that Hope bumps right into her back with an “Oof!”

“This is the teachers’ aisle.”

Hope forehead crinkles in confusion. “So?”

“My room can’t be here since I’m a sixteen-year-old student...”

“Oh shit.” Hope says as realization hits her that they actually have no idea where this world’s Penelope’s room might be.

“Precisely.”

“Let’s hope I have the same room here.” Hope mumbles to herself, “my big, single room.”

After walking to the student’s dormitories, Hope leads them in front of a door on the top floor.

“Are we just going to look at the door…” Penelope asks an exasperated expression on her face.

“I’m thinking.”

“It’s just a door Hope.”

“You’re insufferable.”

Hope whispers something and holds her breath. When the door clicks open, she lets an excited squeal. “We have the same password!” making Penelope snort in amusement.

Hope peers inside the room looking apprehensive at first. As she walks inside, she’s surprised at how familiar the content of the room feels to her, yet, at the same time, foreign. 

She takes in the different photographs, the jewelry stand almost like the one she had, a canvas… “She also paints!” Hope whispers in awe as she passes her fingers over the paint brushes.

*

Penelope’s pacing back and forth in Hope’s room twisting her hands together.

“I think we should go to New Orleans. Tonight.”

Hope’s eyebrows draw together. “Tonight? Why?”

“We have to see Freya. She’s the only one who can help us figure out how we got here.”

Hope frowns. “How are we supposed to get to New Orleans from Mystic Falls?”

Penelope ponders the question for a moment. “We’ll take Dr Saltzman’s car.”

“Penelope, I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but you’re not being reasonable here.”

Penelope sends Hope an incredulous look. “Reasonable? Really Hope?”

“You’re suggesting we break curfew, steal the headmaster’s car…”

“Borrow.” Penelope counters.

“Whatever.” Hope rolls her eyes. “Drive all the way to New Orleans in the middle of the night – probably without a license - skip class, and-”

Penelope shakes her head at Hope, her voice raising. “You’re right, I can’t believe you’re the one saying this!”

Hope’s voice is calm as she tries to reason with her best friend. “Penelope, we don’t even know what this world’s Freya is like. She could kill us before we even get to ring the bell. She may not even be in New Orleans...”

Penelope swallows. “My parents should be there.”

“Penelope…” Hope trails off. 

“If you had a chance to see your parents again, would you be… reasonable?”

Hope takes a few steps back as is she’d been slapped. “That’s low and you know it.” 

Penelope must notice the curt tone and she swallows. She lowers her gaze at the floor before looking back at Hope the apology written on her face. “I just-I just want to see them. They’re so many… details I’ve forgotten. They were in spirit form- but they’re alive here. I-I could touch them again. I don’t remember what they smell like, you know.” 

Hope moves forward and lays a reassuring hand on Penelope’s arm. “Penelope…”

Penelope shakes her head in a futile attempt to chase the tears pricking her eyes. “I didn’t mean to bring up your parents. I-I just…”

Hope’s lips curl into a sad smile. “I know.”

Penelope takes a shaky breath, her eyes squeezing shut. She swipes at her cheeks. “You’re right, we can’t just show up there.”

They stand in silence for a few minutes before Hope sighs. “We need more intel on this world.”

There’s a beat before Penelope snorts. “Intel? What are you, Secret Service?”

“Shut up!” Hope rolls her eyes but she’s glad to see a smile on Penelope’s face. 

*

“So, Agent Mikaelson, what do we know so far?”

Hope rolls her eyes good naturedly at Penelope. “We’re in a parallel world, stuck in the bodies of our sixteen-year-old counterparts.”

“My family’s alive.” Penelope adds.

“Lizzie and Josie hate us.”

Penelope sets her mouth in a grim line. “That’s not much. We definitely need more intel. But how are we going to get it?”

Hope’s pensive face suddenly transforms to a childlike state of excitement when an idea hits her. “My journal! I had one when I was at school here, I’m sure she has one too!”

Hope starts looking around for the best hiding place. She walks towards a box containing different painting supplies and lifts it revealing a leather-bound journal.

“I love being so predictable!”

Hope opens it and skims through the pages before widening her eyes. 

“Wow, that girl is even more depressing than I was. Listen to this…”

Penelope puts a hand on her shoulder to stop her before she reads out loud from the diary.

“Don’t you think it’s kind of personal? Maybe you’re the only one who should read it. Just tell me if you find anything useful.”

Hope nods in agreement and starts flipping through the journal in search of something that could help them better understand where they stand in this world while Penelope goes to a bookshelf and pears at the titles.

They stay in silence until Hope finally breaks it with an indignant snort. “They’re not friends.”

“Who?”

“Them!” Hope exclaims. “This is filled with ‘Park’s an idiot’, ‘Park’s an ass’….”. She looks at Penelope, her eyes wide. “They’re not friends Penelope. They don’t even like each other.” 

“Maybe not yet,” Penelope pauses, “but I’m sure they will eventually.” 

“How can you be so sure? This Hope seems even more antisocial than me, and that’s saying a lot. And this Penelope – this Park - sounds like a real pain in the ass.”

“If they are anything like us, it’s only a matter of time before they realize they need one another. They just need to find their best friend. Like I did. Like we did.”

*

Hope gasps.

“What? Find anything?”

Hope hesitates. _“Park approached me today with a proposition. She said she knew I liked Lizzie and said that I needed to make her really ‘see’ me for a change-”_

__

__

The color instantly drains from Penelope’s face as she listens to Hope. “Please, tell me I’m not a complete idiot...” she mutters.

_“She said she knew exactly how to do that. I had to make Lizzie mad and that the only way to do it was to pretend Penelope and I were dating.”_

Hope gags but resumes reading. _“What better way than to get Lizzie mad than dating her arch nemesis?”_

__

__

__

__

Penelope groans and covers her head in her hands. “I think I’m going to be sick… That’s got to be the worst plan on earth. I can’t believe I suggested that.”

“I can’t believe I agreed to it!”

Hope mutters a spell making the pages turn on her own before stopping by themselves. 

Hope groans. “Ready?” 

“How can it get any worse than that?”

_“I knew I should’ve never trusted Park! I thought she only did this to piss Lizzie off, but I overheard Josie and MG talking. Josie likes that ass Park. She thought it was mutual but suddenly after the party at the Old Mill, Park became distant and cold with her for no reason. But I know what happened! When I got to the party, I saw that Josie had a bit too much to drink. She was stumbling and I was going to get her when the new werewolf Rafael reached her before me and hold her up. It was all innocent. Then Park almost run into me. Park has the hots for Josie and this whole Plan was to get back at her. So now my only friend in this school hates me and the girl I like hates me even more than before.”_

__

__

“An idiot, that’s what I am.”

“We’re both idiots!”

“No! Not us, them!”

“I understand why they hate them. Heck, I hate them too right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter : we'll get back to the "original" universe to see how the other duo is faring.  
Then, some Park siblings interactions and maybe some Posie...


	4. “Everyone needs friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thank you all for your comments and kudos.  
This chapter we're going back to the original world where the 2 teenage versions of Hope and Penelope are, clearly, teenagers!

“I-I need to get out of here… I-I can’t breathe. I-I need some air.” 

Penelope walks past Josie and towards the school’s gardens. Josie shares a look with her sister silently telling her to go after the distraught witch. 

Josie waits a few minutes before following Penelope outside. As she wraps her arms around herself to protect her from the chill, Josie thinks how ironic it is that this younger version of Penelope stopped in front of the raven’s clearing.

She clears her throat alerting Penelope of her presence not wanting to startle her.

“I’ve never thought they could…” Penelope’s voice breaks. She sucks in a full breath. When she turns around to face her, Josie can see the tear tracks framing her face.

“I take everything for granted.” Penelope huffs out a humorless laugh. “I’m an ass. To everyone. Especially the twins. I mean, they always follow me around and talk my ears off- I can’t believe I pretend not to know them when I see them at school.”

Penelope shakes her head. “I’m just an ass.” She takes a deep breath, blowing it out as she runs a hand through her hair. “It should’ve been me! How- Why- What happened to them?”

Josie licks her lips as she tries to gather her thoughts and explain the tragic events that had happened more than a decade ago in this world.

***

Lizzie thinks that the Hope sitting across from her looks even more closed off than her Hope. Over the years, Lizzie likes to think of herself as an expert in reading Hope. A very useful skill knowing how difficult it was for Hope to actually put words on her feelings.

The way this Hope is sitting, her back stiff with tension takes her back to when they were sixteen and clearly not so in tune with one another.

“In this world… are my parents also…?” Hope shrugs in a futile attempt to give the question an air of casualness.

A sad smile ghosts on Lizzie’s lips as she nods.

Hope nods her head in a kind of resigned agreement. “Right.”

“Hope grew up with Freya.”

“Right.”

“You seemed…” Lizzie looks for the right word, “…surprised, when my father said he was calling her…”

Hope sighs. “In my world, Freya’s a mess. She blames herself for everything. Pushes everyone away.” Hope sighs again and Lizzie can sense the sadness and hurt rolling off her. “She drinks. A lot. She tries to keep it together for my sake, but I think seeing me reminds of everything, so I try to stay away…”

“Oh.”

Hope shrugs. 

“After Penelope’s family was killed, Freya took her in. Freya raised both of them.”

“Really?”

Lizzie smiles. “They were a handful! Driving Freya up the wall. Thankfully Keelin always managed to get them out of trouble.”

Hope raises an eyebrow. “Freya’s still with Keelin here?”

“Yes, they’re married, and they have a daughter, Nicole.”

Hope shakes her head in awe. “Wow.”

They sit in silence for a little while. Lizzie wants to laugh when she sees Hope starting to tense again.

“Earlier, when I woke up, you called me ‘baby’. Are you and Hope, together?” Hope asks a slight blush coming to her cheeks when her eyes meet Lizzie’s.

Lizzie laughs and nods.

Hope looks sheepish as she tries to keep the smile off her face. “Oh. Good to know it works out somewhere.”

“I take it that’s not the case with your Lizzie?”

The smile on Hope’s face switches to a slight frown, the corners of her lips twitching downwards. A sigh escapes her lips. “She hates me.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t.”

“Trust me, she does. The thing is, I don’t even know why! I literally have no idea what I did to make her hate me.” 

“Have you tried talking to her about it?” Lizzie asks.

Hope looks at her as she’s grown another head and Lizzie thinks that teenagers are definitely the worse. 

Lizzie tries another approach. “What about Josie and you. Are you two friends?”

“Josie was kind of a friend.” Hope sighs dramatically and Lizzie barely manages to keep herself from snorting in amusement. “But now, thanks to Park she hates me too.”

“I gather, Penelope and you aren’t friends?”

Hope snorts pointing towards the gardens. “I don’t know about your Park, but this one’s kind of an idiot. And an ass!”

Hope fidgets with her hands on her lap and Lizzie knows she’s about to ask something.

“Are Hope and Penelope friends here?”

Lizzie smiles earnestly. “Yes. The best of friends. The kind that would die for the other. Or that would put their life in danger to bring the other one back from the dead. That kind.”

“Really?” Hope asks the surprise evident in her voice.

Lizzie nods. 

“I don’t want friends.” Hope tries to keep her tone neutral, devoid of any emotion, but Lizzie can see right through her, having already lived this with her Hope. “People I care about have a tendency to die on me. And those who’re still alive tend to disappoint me.”

“Hope used to be like that, until Penelope and her started getting along. I think they were meant to be friends.”

“I’m fine by myself.”

“Everyone needs friends.”

Hope huffs. “You sound like Miss Tig.”

Lizzie raises an eyebrow at her. “Is that a bad thing?” 

A light pink color stains Hope’s cheeks as she shrugs. “I don’t know. It doesn’t sound so annoying when you say it…”

***

“Does that mean that this Silas could come after my coven in my world too?”

“I don’t know. When you get back to your world, knowing this is a possibility, should help your coven be more prepared.”

Penelope shakes her head. “This day feels like 100 years!” She paces back and forth. “When I woke up this morning my only care was how to annoy Lizzie and whether Jojo would finally realize we’re made for each other.”

Josie stifles a laugh when realization at what she just revealed dawns on Penelope, and she claps a hand over her own mouth.

“I was pretty insecure when I was your age. Maybe your Josie feels the same way.”

Penelope frowns. “What would she be insecure about? She’s so talented, so smart. Her heart is so, so big. She cares about everyone and everything. People underestimate her because she’s a siphoner, but they’re dumb because she’s really powerful.” 

Josie cuts Penelope’s rambling, smiling softly. “Have you tried telling her all of this?”

Penelope sends her a confused look, brow furrowed. “Like… with words?”

“How else could you let her know how you feel?”

Penelope blinks, slowly, then clears her throat. “I stare at her a lot. Doesn’t that count?”

“I don’t think that’s-”

“I’m always around- she says it’s like I appear out of thin air.”

“Well-”

“Sometimes I wink at her when I catch her looking at me.”

“Oh,…”

“And I compliment her all the time, but subtly, in a flirty-bantery kind of way…”

Penelope trails off a hopeful smile playing on her lips that makes Josie sad for bursting her teenage heart.

“So basically, she thinks you hate her.”

“What?” Penelope exclaims, her face flushing red and wearing an indignant expression. “No! why would she think that? I don’t hate her!”

“I know you don’t. I don’t think she knows that though. She might think you’re staring down on her, or that you’re trying to annoy her…”

Penelope looks at Josie mouth half open in a silent protest as she ponders over what she’d said.

“Well, that explains a lot!”

“It can’t be that bad.”

Penelope groans and runs her hand in her hair. “I might’ve spread a rumor about Mikaelson and I, that we’re dating, you know, to make the twins jealous...”

“Oh.”

“For a moment there when I thought this was the future, I figured my plan actually worked.”

“I was a teenager too, made lots of bad decisions, but this plan of yours, it’s never going to work.”

“I’m such an ass!”

***

When Josie and Penelope head back inside, Dr Saltzman informs them that Freya Mikaelson was expected to arrive at the Salvatore school the following morning.

“This is Penelope’s room, you don’t mind sharing, do you?”

Hope and Penelope share a tense look but nod at Dr.Saltzman who nods back satisfied before leaving them with Josie and Lizzie.

“Are you sure that’s her room? It looks barely used.”

Lizzie guffaws. “That’s because she barely uses it.”

Hope and Penelope furrow their bows and look at her curiously.

“She keeps it for our father’s sake. All of her stuff is in Josie’s room. That’s where all the magic is happening.” Lizzie smirks as she winks at them.

“Lizzie! They’re sixteen!” Josie exclaims as she smacks her sister on the arm.

“Exactly, they’re teenagers not toddlers. I’m sure they know how babies are made, or in your case, fireworks.”

“Lizzie!”

“What?” Lizzie asks innocently though her wide grin gives her away making Hope and Penelope laugh at Josie’s scandalized expression.

“That was one time…” Josie mumbles her entire face blushing a dark shade of red.

***

“Here.” 

“What’s that for?” Hope asks as she tears her attention from the door the twins just stepped out from and looks at the handkerchief Penelope holds out for her.

Penelope smirks. “To wipe your drool!”

“Shut up!” Hope huffs annoyed. Her eyes narrow “Like you’re any better Park!”


	5. “Can you just shut up?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, hope you're all well. 
> 
> A started a new job a few weeks ago and couldn't find the time to write, then remote work and confinement...   
Hope you like this chapter, don't hesitate to leave a comment/question... got plenty of time to read now.
> 
> Be safe!

“How long are you planning on glaring at your own reflection?”

Penelope huffs in indignation. “That’s not me!”

“She sure looks a lot like you did at sixteen.” Hope says with a teasing smile at the corner of her lips.

Penelope huffs again and turns her glare at her. 

“Don’t be so hard on her, she’s just young.” Hope tries to reason.

Penelope scoffs. “I was young too!”

“You were surrounded by adults. You spend all your time reading or meditating or training. You didn’t get to be a ‘normal’ teenager and make all the common teenage mistakes.” 

Penelope’s glare shifts into a teasing smirk. “Like you did?”

“What do you mean, I was a very responsible teenager.”

“Didn’t you cheat on your boyfriend with Lizzie?”

Hope crosses her arms and pouts. “Hey, no need to take it out on me. It’s not my fault your alter-ego is an arrogant ass!”

Penelope huffs out at Hope, then glares back at the mirror her eyes darting from her reflection to Hope. “Isn’t there a dress code in this school?”

“These are the school’s uniforms.” Hope gestures at their clothes.

If possible, Penelope glares even more at her own reflection. She motions at the tribrid to stand next to her.

“Spot any differences?”

“Hmm, I’m wearing a cardigan.” Hope answers hesitantly.

Penelope rolls her eyes. “My skirt is way shorter than yours. The top buttons of my blouse are undone, yours are buttoned.”

Hope looks back and forth at their reflections. It’s the same clothes but Park has obviously added her own twist to the school’s uniform. 

“So?”

“No way her parents are aware of this lack of respect of the school’s uniform. Why is no one doing anything about it at the school?”

Hope looks at Penelope before she snorts out a laugh. “I’m going to be the cool aunt!”

Penelope scrunches her nose and looks at Hope as if she’s crazy. “What are you talking about?”

“Not that the sexualisation of teens is not an important subject, but I just realized you’re going to be the no-fun parent.” Hope starts, oozing with excitement. “I’m going to be the cool aunt to your kids! The let-them-sleep-late and have ice-cream before dinner kind of aunt! Heck we’ll have cookies and pop-corn for dinner!”

“I’m fun!” Penelope gasps outraged making Hope snicker in response. Penelope gets ready to kick her best friend when something about what Hope said clicks in her mind.

“Wait, what kids?” Penelope asks her brows scrunched up in confusion.

Hope shrugs as if it should be obvious- well obvious to anyone but her totally oblivious best friend. “Josie and yours.”

Penelope’s eyes widen. “I-She- Did she tell you she wanted… with me?”

Hope fixes Penelope with an incredulous look before speaking. “Haven’t you two talked about the future?”

“Of course. It’s a forever thing, but…”

“What part of ‘forever’ didn’t you get?” Hope prompts, confused.

Penelope looks sheepish and unsure. “I was just back from the in-between world, so maybe it was just the emotion talking. I didn’t want to assume anything. Didn’t want to pressure her. So, I kind of… avoided talking about it again.”

Hope blinks a couple of times to make sure she heard her correctly. “You- you- are an idiot!”

“Hey!”

“A complete idiotic idiot!”

Penelope lowers her head, her cheeks burning red. “So, you think Josie might want to – one day, maybe – with me?” she asks shyly.

Hope throws her hands in the air. “Yes, you idiot!”

Penelope gives her a sheepish smile. “This morning, you really weren’t talking about daylight rings, were you?”

Hope shakes her head in disbelief and fights the urge to kick Penelope.

***

Hope closes the journal with a huff. “It says here that Freya’s a mess. She blames herself for- well, everything that went wrong with her family. I don’t think she’s going to be able to help us!”

“Who else can we turn to?”

“What about Dr.Saltzman?”

Penelope shakes her head. “Given our young counterparts’ track record, I doubt he’ll believe us.”

Hope sighs. “If I call her, what do I talk to Freya about?”

Penelope looks at Hope curiously. “What do you usually talk to her about? You’re always on the phone for hours with Freya.”

There’s a beat before Hope answers. “I usually complain about you…” Hope tosses Penelope a playful grin when she hears her scoff.

Hope sighs, relenting. “I’ll call her.”

“In the meantime, we lay low. Act like everything’s normal. Like we’re really ‘them’.”

Hope’s eyes widen in horror. “You mean, go to class?”

Penelope nods, smirking.

Hope crosses her arms and glares. “Fine, but I refuse to do any homework!” 

***

As Penelope and Hope walk to the dining hall, they spot Petra and Percy with their friends bouncing with energy, their hands flailing wildly in the air.

Penelope watches them a fond smile on her lips.

“Were they like that back… then?”

“Kind of.” Penelope says after a few seconds. “They were much younger. They drove me insane with their babbling. But also made me laugh to tears with their antics.”

They stay silent again for a few moments until Penelope chuckles. 

“Once I made them think I’d locked them in my parent’s dressing. I didn’t even put a locking spell on the door, they were babies, I didn’t want to scare them, I just wanted a few minutes of peace.” Penelope looks down guiltily before she shakes her head and looks at Hope her green eyes gleaming. “Want to know what they did?”

Hope nods eagerly. She has to bite her cheek to keep herself from laughing at Penelope’s excitement.

“They blew up the door!” Penelope exclaims bouncing in energy in a similar way to the twins. “They didn’t even think to check if the door was locked! When I heard the explosion, I ran into the room panicked, only to find them sporting shit-eating grins looking mighty smug, door barely holding into its hinges, clothes flying around all around them!”

They both burst into laughter.

“They sound like real trouble-makers.”

“Definitely.” Penelope agrees.

“Pranksters?”

“Their imagination and creativity in that area knew no boundaries despite their young age.”

“Wonder who they got it from?” Hope smirks.

Penelope’s eyes widen. “You think so?” She asks her voice shy, soft.

Hope nods overcome with affection at her best friend’s look of absolute wonderment at the idea that her younger siblings looked up to her.

“Come on, let’s go sit with them.”

The awkward silence that falls over the young Parks is quickly broken when they realize that they truly have the full attention of their older sister.

From then on, Petra and Percy take turns talking about anything and everything keeping the awkwardness at bay.

Hope watches the way Penelope is captivated by every word the twins utter, how engrossed she is in whatever story they’re telling. Hope can see the different emotions playing out on Penelope’s face from love to guilt to sorrow. It makes her heart both swell and hurt for her best friend. 

****

“Nothing? Are you sure?”

Penelope huffs. “They’re just doors Hope. They all look the same.” She gestures to the long corridor where this world’s Penelope’s dorm room must be.

“Fine, you can stay in my room but you’re sleeping on the floor.”

“What?! I’m your guest!”

“You’re insufferable!”

Penelope chuckles at Hope’s retreating figure. She stares at the different doors before sighing in defeat.

“Hey Penelope, looking good!”   
Penelope startles and turns her head towards the source of the voice to find a blond witch looking her up and down appraisingly. 

Penelope squirms uncomfortably “Hum, don’t- don’t I usually look good?” 

The blond witch bites her lip. “You sure do.” She walks away and opens one of the doors. “Goodnight Penelope,” she says before closing the door. 

Penelope furrows her brows. “Was she… flirting?” she whispers to herself out loud still trying to figure out the brief exchange. 

“Get over yourself!” 

Penelope whips her head towards the voice and comes face to face with an angry looking teenage Josie.

Josie looks at her with such disdain that Penelope feels an unpleasant shiver run down her back. Before Penelope has time to figure out what to say, Josie huffs and spins on her heels heading to her room.

Penelope sighs and walks to Hope’s room. She vows never to get her Josie angry at her.

***

Penelope can feel Hope’s eyes on her willing her to stop talking. Alas, from the moment their magical potions teacher paired her with Josie, her mouth hasn’t cooperated.

“Did you know that the kadupul flower blooms at midnight only to perish that same night before dawn?”

Josie doesn’t answer, instead she tightens her grip on the pestle she uses to crush the beautiful flower in the mortar, her knuckles turning white. 

“Very few humans have had the chance to see it you know. It’s a pity because it’s such a beautiful flower. Beautiful but mortal. That’s why you have to make small, delicate, circular movements to crush it.”

Penelope gulps and her brain sends another command to her mouth to shut up, but like all the previous ones, this one’s ignored too. She’s never had to deal with an upset Josie before. Usually, her Josie loves listening to her talking. This Josie however obviously doesn’t and it’s making her nervous, and apparently when she’s nervous she rambles.

“Can you just shut up?”

“Oh, yes of course. I’ll stop talking. I can do that. Right, of course- I’ll just stop talking immediately, like right now- Not saying another-”

“Shut up!” Josie yells slamming the mortar on the desk.

“Josie! Don’t hit it that hard, it’s going to explode!”

Josie looks at Penelope’s outstretched hands, her eyes blazing with anger “It won’t be the only one exploding if you don’t shut up – right - now!” Josie punctuates each word by slamming the mortar again and again, until…

Penelope may not have the immense powers she grew up with but she’s still able to perform a pain-reduction spell on Josie while she pushes her far from the explosion her angry movements caused.

She can feel herself being blasted in the air, she feels the heat coming up to her face and then… 

Nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are going to be a dozen chapters if I follow my timeline.


	6. I just wanted someone to talk to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, thank you for your patience. It was a crazy period of time.  
I hope this chapter was worth the wait. There a lot of things happening and many questions are (finally) answered!  
It's always a pleasure to read your comments. 
> 
> There could be a bonus scene about a certain word if anyone asks... 
> 
> Stay safe!

“Why do I feel like everyone’s watching me?” Penelope asks as she sits down next to Lizzie and Hope at the breakfast table.

Lizzie barely bats an eyelid at Penelope’s question. “That’s because they probably are.” She says with a smirk on her face.

Hope looks around nervously an alarmed look on her face. “Why? Do you think they know she’s not… her?”

Lizzie shakes her head laughing. “Half the school’s population is in love with Penelope.” 

Penelope blinks in surprise. “What?”

Hope screws her face up in disgust. “Why?” 

A playful glint shines in Lizzie’s eyes at the question. “Probably because she’s absolutely and completely clueless.”

Penelope scrunches her face in confusion. 

“As brilliant as this world’s Penelope Park is when it comes to spells and potions and anything magic-related, she’s pretty aloof about anything else.”

“Wait, you mean, she doesn’t… realize?”

“Nope!” Lizzie shakes her head. “She thinks they’re really interested in learning more about magic.” One corner of her lips quirks up. “She usually gives them extra homework.”

“But- how?”

“Penelope spent half her life learning how to control her magic… and plotting the Travelers’ demise. That didn’t leave much time for… normalcy.” Lizzie shrugs.

***

“Professor. Excuse me, Professor!”

“I think they’re calling for you.” Hope whispers as she sees the approaching group of young witches.

“Why would they call me ‘Prof-’ Hey!” Penelope’s question is cut when Hope elbows her in the side. Penelope scrunches up her face in anger. “Did you just hit me?”. 

“Professor Park!”

Penelope startles at the exclamation and her eyes widen as realization dawns on her and Hope bites her lip to keep from laughing at her expression. 

Park’s such an idiot, she thinks.

“Right, yes, Park, Professor Park! That’s… me!” Penelope says as she turns around to face the young witches calling for her.

Hope rolls her eyes especially when the young witches giggle thinking their professor is being funny. 

“Professor Park, last week’s lecture on magical flowers was so enlightening. Right girls?” The young witch turns towards her friends who all nod. “But, Professor Park, I’m not sure I understood everything about the kadupul’s magical properties…”

Hope looks around hoping to spot one of the Saltzman’s to get them out of what she thinks is going to be a big, fat mess. She racks her brain trying to recall what’s so special about that flower. She knows they were supposed to learn about it this week and she now wishes she had read the material before class for once.

“Ah yes, the kadupul flower! Fascinating isn’t it? Kadupul flowers bloom at midnight only to perish that same night before dawn. But what interests us witches lies in its magical properties…”

Hope blinks a couple of times to make sure she’s not hallucinating as gives the young witches an entire lesson about the kadupul flower.

Once the witches have left, Hope crosses her arms and quirks an eyebrow.

“What?” Penelope asks self-consciously.

“I thought your brain was as shallow as your ego.”

An awkward silence falls over them until Penelope shrugs nonchalantly. “You said it yourself, my coven is a powerful one, I must’ve picked up some things,” she says as she walks away. 

Hope clearly registers the hurt that flashes on Penelope’s eyes. Maybe Park’s not the complete idiot she pretends to be.

***

Penelope and Hope nervously glance at each other as they follow Josie to the Headmaster’s office where this world’s Freya Mikaelson is waiting for them.

As soon as the office’s door closes behind them, both Hope and Penelope clutch their heads as Freya invades their minds. 

After a couple of minutes that seem to last an hour, Freya lets go of her magical grip and they can breathe again.

“They’re really from another world.”

Lizzie shoots Freya a clearly annoyed look. “We already told you that. Was that really necessary Freya?”

Freya waves a hand at Lizzie, shrugging her shoulders. “One can never be too careful.” the powerful witch says, her eyes never leaving Hope’s.

They all stand in silence after that, Lizzie and Josie, Hope and Penelope and Freya. 

Penelope clears her throat. “So, do you know how we got here?” She asks hesitantly, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Freya turns her piercing gaze to her and Penelope gulps hard.

Silence falls upon them again, the only sound echoing in the Headmaster’s office coming from Freya’s movements as she swiftly approaches Hope and Penelope.

“There’s something I have to check first.” She tells them before walking towards the door. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

***

After Freya’s sudden departure, Penelope and Hope are left alone by the Saltzman twins. They find themselves walking in the school’s gardens away from the students and other professors.

“Your aunt is really… intense.” Penelope says cautiously.

Hope’s jaw twitches but she keeps her tone of voice neutral. “That’s not my aunt.”

“Oh, okay.”

They walk in silence for a few moments until they reach a somewhat secluded clearing that looks like an outdoor dojo.

“What’s this place?” Penelope asks looking around at all the different wooden sticks.

“I think that’s where they train. Lizzie told me, they, I mean the other us, practice all kinds of martial arts.”

“Been talking to Lizzie a lot, haven’t you?” Penelope smirks as she picks up a staff.

Hope rolls her eyes not. “Just like you’ve been talking to Josie.”

Penelope turns the staff in her hand, then swings it in a figure-eight pattern.

“I think I’m a natural at this!” Penelope exclaims.

“The only thing you’re a natural at, is being an ass.”

Penelope glares at her. She twirls the stick in her hand and pokes Hope in her ribs with it. “Touché.”

Hope pushes the staff away with one hand and rubs her ribs with her other hand. “Ouch!”

Penelope rolls her eyes. “You’re a tribrid, you probably didn’t even feel that.”

“That’s no reason to poke someone!” Hope huffs out annoyed. “And put that thing down before you hurt yourself!” she scoffs at Penelope who repeatedly swifts the stick over her shoulders. 

Penelope smirks. “Come and get it!” she says, her eyes flashing dangerously in challenge.

“What?”

“You heard me. Are you scared I’ll kick your ass, Mikaelson?” Penelope taunts.

Hope arches an eyebrow. “Seriously?” she scoffs. “I’m a tribrid! You don’t stand a chance.” 

“Come get this stick then.” Penelope wiggles her brows as she cuts an X in the air repeatedly with her staff.

Hope’s jaw clenches. She tries to reign the frustration and anger she feels building inside of her. 

She’s almost in control of her emotions when Penelope pokes her with the stick again, and-

It’s a mess!

Hope launches herself at Penelope reaching for the wooden staff. Penelope staggers back the staff still in her hand. 

“Good doggy, come on, come get the stick.”

Hope’s hands are balled into fists. “You’re insufferable!” She dives for the stick; her fingers close around it when a burning sensation spreads through her hand and she lets go.

“What the hell Park?!”

Hope shakes her hand and charges again at Penelope. This time she manages to knock her off her feet and they both roll against the ground punching and kicking at each other.

The second Penelope drops the wooden staff, Hope’s extra-speed allows her to get to it first. She stares down at Penelope, a smug smirk on her lips.

“You were saying?”

“I’m going to kick your ass?” Penelope says seemingly unfazed by the turn of events. She stands up, dusting her clothes and even winks at her. Hope grinds her teeth together in frustration a snarky comment on the tip of her tongue.

Penelope mutters something unintelligible. An incantation she’s never heard of. Hope doesn’t even have time to ask what she said when she lets out a giggle. Then another, and another.

Hope’s eyes widen in surprise. “What’s happening?” she doubles over in laughing.

Penelope walks towards her, leans down to her ear and whispers, “Magic,” before snatching the wooden stick from Hope’s hand.

“Make it stop!” 

“Why?”

“Because!” Hope throws her hands in the air in frustration. “I’m mad at you!” she yells as she lets out a loud snort of laughter.

“Laughter is the cheapest therapy you’ll ever get. Just let it in Mikaelson.”

“Let it in? What are you talking about?”

“Just stop fighting the spell and it will wear off on its own.” Penelope lifts one shoulder in a shrug. 

Hope looks confused before closing her eyes until she can’t contain the laughter that bubbles up from her chest. Her eyes start to water from laughing her heart out.

After a few moments of trying to catch her breath, Hope can feel herself calming down.

“What did you do to me?” she asks quietly. “I’ve never heard of a laughing spell or whatever that was!”

“It’s something my father and I do. He calls it ‘spell-tuning’.”

“Spell-tuning?”

“Spells are based on incantations, right? If you mispronounce a syllable in a spell, you can change its effects. We try different syllables, or we combine different spells to create new ones. Most of the time, we just blow something up, but sometimes, we make it work.” 

A light-pink color stains Penelope’s cheeks. “It’s just for fun. You know the Pain reduction spell, right?”

Hope nods. “It’s supposed to reduce another person’s physical pain.”

An excited sparkle shines in Penelope’s eyes. “Exactly! What if you add a little twist to the spell and make it about comfort and letting go?”

“I can’t believe this. You got me high!?” 

Penelope holds her hands up. “Not really, just loosened you up a bit. Pain can also be emotional.”

Hope brow furrows at that. She ponders it for a moment. “It did make me feel, lighter.” She shakes her head in disbelief. “That’s- that’s pretty advanced witchcraft.”

“My coven is old and powerful.” Penelope shifts uncomfortably.

“No.” Hope shakes her head softly. “You’re a powerful witch.” 

“Wow, a compliment. I’m honored.” Penelope grins sarcastically. 

“Shut up.” Hope rolls her eyes at Penelope her words missing the usual snark. “Why do you pretend not to care about school?”

Penelope startles at the question. She looks at Hope in confusion and suspicion but is only met by genuine curiosity.

Penelope sighs running a hand in her hair. “When I arrived at the Salvatore school, everyone was already talking about the tribrid, unique in its kind.” She shakes her head. “Then it was about the Saltzman twins, Lizzie the extravert known for her beauty and top-of-the-class Josie… I just wanted people to talk about me too.” She shrugs. “It seems pretty dumb now.” 

Penelope’s face is bright red and she looks away in embarrassment. Hope’s heart aches in recognition for her.

“The only reason I agreed to go along with your plan was-…” Hope cuts off huffing. “I mean, I know everyone at school fears me because of my father. I’m used to it.” She shrugs. “I don’t care that no one talks to me.” She rolls her eyes and sighs. “Okay, I do. It sucks. I just wanted someone to talk to.”

They stand in silence not really knowing what to do about each other admission.

“It wasn’t the best of plans...” Penelope offers.

Hope snorts. “It was the worst plan, ever.”

Penelope laughs. “Okay, it was a terrible idea.”

“They hate us even more now…” Hope sighs.

“Josie, I mean this Josie, suggested I tell our Josie about my feelings for her…”

“Like actually talk to her, with words?”

Penelope nods and Hope can’t help but scrunch her nose.

“Lizzie told me the same thing.”

Penelope and Hope’s eyes widen as they glance at each other, a silent conversation passing between them.

“We need to come up with a plan to make the twins like us again.”

“We?” Hope raises an eyebrow in question.

“Yeah, two brains are better than one, right?” Penelope keeps her expression neutral, but there’s a hopeful glint in her green eyes, that doesn’t go unnoticed by Hope.

“You’ll definitely need help. I’ll have to make sure you don’t screw it up even more.”

***

Once again, Hope and Penelope find themselves in the Headmaster’s office with the Saltzman twins and Freya Mikaelson.

“I was in the prison world.”

“The- what?” Hope furrows her brow in confusion.

“It’s an alternate plane of existence.” Penelope explains her eyes never leaving Freya’s. 

“That’s where I sent Silas and the rest of the Travelers after their attack on the school.”

“Why were you there today?” 

“I feared he might have something to do with what’s happening. Alas, I was right.”

“What? How?” Josie exclaims jumping on her feet from the armchair she was sitting on.

“I gather that Silas wanted to go back in time – probably to try to destroy the Raven Coven again now that he knows how their power works. Only he didn’t go back in time in this world.”

Penelope blanches. 

“He’s in their world?” Lizzie interjects. “How is that even possible?” 

“When he attacked the school, he got part of Penelope’s powers, thus linking him to her and by extension to Hope.” Freya squeezes her eyes shut for a moment before continuing. “I believe that when he used the spell to go back in time from the Prison World, the fact that he was in a parallel world and his link to Penelope, made his spell… well, ... backfire.”

“Let me get this straight, we’re here because that Silas guy screwed up a spell?” Hope scoffs.

“The spell intended to take his spirit back in time in his younger-self’s body, only his spirit was sent back in time but in another plane of existence. Your world.”

Josie’s fingers curl into fists on her side. “He took Penelope and Hope with him.” She says her voice cracking slightly.

“… and we got sent here. Is there a way to bring them back here and send us in our world?”

“His spell broke the natural balance of magic. I can’t be certain of anything.” Freya sighs. “But, I feel that whatever it is, it has to happen in the other world. They’ll have to face Silas.”

“We have to warn them!”

“How? How can we reach them?”

***

“Talk to her.”

Freya who was on her way out stops her movements and turns to Lizzie a look of confusion on her ageless face. “I was just talking to them both...”

“You talked to them as the great Freya Mikaelson. That’s not what Hope needs. That girl needs her aunt.”

“I’m not her aunt.”

“Apparently you’re the closest thing to what her aunt was. She needs her aunt.”

Freya looks back inside the Headmaster’s office where Hope is seemingly lost in thought.

Freya approaches Hope, carefully and sits next to her. She takes her wallet from her pocket and takes something out of it.

“That’s Nicole, my daughter.”

Hope blinks and reaches for the picture. She traces the face of the smiling child with her fingers. 

“She’s beautiful.”

“She has everyone wrapped around her little finger, especially Hope and Penelope.”

Hope chuckles. “Yeah?”

“You have no idea!”

***

“Why is my aunt such a mess? Why can’t she be like you?” Hope asks a slight tremor in her voice that makes Freya’s heart ache for this young version of Hope.

There’s a sad smile on Freya’s lips. “I’m also a mess. It’s kind of hard not to be when you’ve lived as long as I have.”

“But you’ve managed to pull yourself together. You have a wife and a daughter. You have a family!”

“I do now. You can’t imagine how many times I almost blew everything in the air.”

Hope shakes her head. Her eyes hold unshed tears. “You didn’t go through with it.”

“Do you know why I didn’t? Hope didn’t let me.” Freya places her hand on the younger witch’s arm hoping it conveys comfort. “Don’t give up on your aunt. She needs you just as much as you need her. That’s what family is about, being there for each other, not giving up.”

***

“Aahh!”

Penelope’s scream has Freya and Hope on their feet and running towards the corridor where Penelope is lying on her back on the floor. 

“What the hell happened?!” Josie asks as her sister and her rush to help Penelope get up.

“Park! You’re okay?” Hope asks.

“I don’t know. I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.” 

Hope looks curiously at Freya who turns around them muttering different incantations. “Freya? What-what are you doing?”

“A kadupul explosion…” Freya whispers in awe.

“No, there was no explosion, I was coming back to get you when I got knocked off my feet.”

“Not here. Someone made a kadupul flower explode, in the other world. And Penelope was at the receiving end of the explosion.”

“What?!” Hope and Lizzie exclaim at the same time.

“Do you think Penelope’s hurt?” Josie asks worrying her lip between her teeth.

“A kadupul explosion is loud but relatively harmless.” Freya reassures her. “If I’m right and she did indeed got blasted by a kadupul flower, she should just be knocked out for a few minutes. Nothing really bad.”

“How could I possibly feel it? Do you think we’re linked?”

“I think so.” Freya nods to herself. “Yes. You’re still linked to your body. And Penelope’s linked to hers. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner!”

“So, if something bad happens to me, she’ll feel it?”

“Not necessarily something bad… more like, something big.”

“Sometimes I feel small jolts in my arms.”

“We could use this to communicate with them!” Lizzie grips both of Josie’s hands, shaking them as she excitedly exclaims. 

Josie looks at her sister with wide yes. “Morse code!” they say at the same time.

“What are you talking about?”

“We could send them a message using Penelope’s body. We could send small shockwaves on your skin and wend a message using morse code.”

***

“What message should we send?”

“First we have to be sure we’re really reaching out to Penelope. It has to be something only she knows about.”

“I know.” Josie nods to herself.

Josie takes the magic from the bracelet Penelope had given her. She then places her hand on Penelope’s arm. She lifts her head to look at Penelope who simply nods at her. “Let’s do it.” 

Penelope’s arm shines bright a few times as Josie spells a four-letter word in Morse code on her skin. 

“Now what?”

“We wait. And pray they get it.”


	7. “Spell-tuning!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Sorry for the long wait. Lots of work and not much time to write.  
Originally, this chapter was going to be longer but I split it so that I could at least give you something to read now.  
I hope you'll enjoy it, though I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter.

“Ugh, my head hurts like hell.” Penelope groans as she slowly comes back to her senses and looks at Hope. “What happened?”

“You couldn’t keep your mouth shut.” Hope deadpans.

Penelope groans again as she remembers the fury in Josie’s eyes. “Note to self, never get Josie mad at me.” 

“Luckily for you, our Josie finds your nervous rambling, cute, though I have no idea why.” Hope smirks.

Penelope huffs in annoyance. “Wait until you face this world’s Lizzie before making fun of me!”

Hope brushes her off, a cheeky smile on her lips. “You’re forgetting I’ve already met teenage Lizzie. I even managed to make her fall in love with me. It’s called the Mikaelson charm. This world’s Lizzie doesn’t stand a chance!”

Penelope snorts, shaking her head at Hope.

She slowly gets up from the bed she was lying in. She looks around the unfamiliar room and gives Hope a questioning look.

“Guess whose room we’re in!” Hope gives her an excited grin as she gestures at the room.

“Really? That’s Park’s room?!” Penelope excitedly asks as she looks around the unfamiliar dorm room.

*

Hope watches Penelope approach the desk, brow creased in concern as her best friend’s eyes fall onto the pinned pictures above it. Park family pictures. She hears a sharp intake of breath, then Penelope lifts her hand and touches the pictures with the tips of her fingers, tracing the smiling faces.

Hope swallows thickly. She turns around to give Penelope some privacy. She takes a closer look at the bookcases filled with books. She lets out an appreciative sound at the titles she recognizes. “Maybe she’s not as bad as we thought.” 

Penelope blinks away the extra moisture in her eyes. “Still an arrogant ass…”

“I thought it was ‘confident’ or was it ‘self-assured’? That’s what you said, right?”

Penelope’s mouth drops open in mock outrage making Hope chuckle. “Shut up.” 

Penelope picks up a notebook and flips over its pages. Her eyes widen a bit in surprise. “No way.” She mutters to herself, shaking her head as she flips the pages back and forth.

Hope steps closer to Penelope waiting for an explanation for the excitement she can feel oozing from the dark-haired witch.

“Spell-tuning!”

Hope blinks. “What?”

Penelope rolls her eyes. “That thing I do with the spells I come up with to annoy you… like with the enchanted messages-”

“Which you still haven’t told me how you do!” Hope whines.

Penelope sends a smirk in her direction. “In your dreams.” 

She points at a section of scribbled notes. “Look here. She’s trying to create new spells! By changing a syllable or combining different spells.” Penelope shakes her head in disbelief. “I didn’t expect this from her. I used to do this with my dad…”

“Maybe she’s more like you than you thought…”

Penelope looks like she wants to say something, but the words seem to be stuck in her throat.

*

“What’s wrong? That’s like the fifth time I’ve seen you shake your arm out.”

“I don’t know. It just feels weird.” Penelope shrugs and rubs at her arm, again. 

“Could it be a side effect from the explosion?”

“Probably.”

*

“Now that we’ve found her room, are you staying here?” Hope asks one hand on the doorknob ready to open the door and head to the Dining Hall.

“I guess.” Penelope shrugs. “I could use a good night sleep away from your snoring.” 

“What?! I don’t snore!”

“Yes, you do. You even growl in your sleep!” Penelope teases, dodging Hope’s swat to her arm.

“No, I don’t!” Hope whines and pinches Penelope’s side without hesitation. Penelope shoves her out the door in retaliation. After much pushing and pulling, they find themselves sprawled out on the floor laughing when someone clears their throat from above them.

They both startle and whip their head upwards. Lizzie’s gaze flicks back and forth in clear disdain. 

Hope scrambles to stand up and face Lizzie, holding her hands out palms up. “That’s not what it looks like!” She exclaims, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

Lizzie crosses her arms and quirks an eyebrow. “You mean, you didn’t just come out of Park’s room?”

“We-we did. Yeah.” Hope stutters.

Lizzie gives her an unimpressed look. “Then it looks exactly as it is,” she says with a flat, no nonsense tone.

Before Hope can think of a comeback, Lizzie turns away, taking off down the hallway.

As soon as Lizzie’s out of sight, a chuckle escapes Penelope’s lips. “Impressive! Must be that Mikaelson charm you were telling me about.” She mocks.

Hope rolls her eyes and resists the urge to kick the raven-haired witch.

*

As Penelope and Hope get near the Dining Hall, a nervous looking vampire approaches them handing them a flyer and quickly turning away.

“What’s this?” Hope asks curiously, making him stop in his tracks.

He turns to face them, a somewhat apprehensive expression on his face. “It’s- you know.” He gulps as he looks back and forth between the two witches. “For the student council. Go MG!” He pumps his fist in the air before quickly bringing his hand back down and swallows audibly.

“Who’s MG?”

“That’s MG, I mean, that’s me.” He fumbles over his words. The vampire shakes his head as if to get rid of his nervousness. “I’m MG.”

Penelope steps closer, the look on her face a perfect mix of confusion and amusement. “Isn’t your name Milton?”

“You-you know my name?” MG looks at Penelope with wide eyes. 

“Milton Greasley.” Hope tells him.

He looks at Hope a look of disbelief on his face. “You also know my name!”

Out the corner of her eye, Hope sees Penelope struggling not to burst out laughing and decides that it would be best if she avoids looking at her best friend.

“That’s my name, but I go by MG. It’s, you know, cooler.”

“Right.” Hope rolls her eyes.

“So, what’s this for?”

“The campaign for the first student council elections is open! I’d like to represent the vampires.”

“Why are you giving us one of your flyers?”

“You’re the cool kids. Well, Park is.”

“Right.” Hope rolls her eyes again.

“You’re cool too!” MG rushes out. “In a ‘most likely to kill someone’ kind of way.” He trails off, his eyes wide as he realizes what he just said and to whom, silently praying the tribrid would spare his life.

“So, I’m the cool one…” Penelope says sending a smirk in Hope’s direction.

“He’s probably exaggerating....”

MG shakes his head, his eyes lit with excitement. “I’m serious! Penelope Park’s the top bitch in this school. Half the school’s population is in love with her.”

“Only half?!” Hope wears a look of mock outrage.

MG nods. “Yeah, the other half is a Lizzie stan.” 

Someone calls MG’s name and he turns and waves at the student. “I got to go. Nice talking to you.” He sprints away muttering to himself, “I can’t believe they knew my name…”

Hope and Penelope wait a moment for MG to walk away before bursting out laughing.

After calming down, Penelope smiles. “That explains why Park’s such an ass…”

“It would also explain why Lizzie hates her.” 

“What? You think, she’s... jealous?!” Penelope stares incredulously at Hope. 

“If this Lizzie is anything like ours, definitely! Aren’t you glad our Lizzie’s over her teenage insecurities?”

“Why would Lizzie be jealous of me? I’m dating her sister.” Penelope asks genuine confusion on her face. “Besides, I don’t have people following me around like lovesick puppies.”

Hope takes a deep breath. “Oh right, you don’t.” She coughs around a word that sounds suspiciously like “clueless” before walking ahead of Penelope.

*

As they get near the Dining Hall they’re handed even more flyers from the different candidates. Well, they’re mostly handed to Penelope and Hope really considers starting to growl at her fellow students.

“What the hell?!” Hope steps back and squints at the poster glued on the wall. It’s an artistic picture of Lizzie with the “I’m with her” slogan. 

Penelope’s brows furrow. “Lizzie’s running for the student council? If they’re like our world’s twins, isn’t that something Josie would enjoy more?”

“You’re right.” Hope shakes her head. “Lizzie probably told Josie first about wanting to enter the election-…”

“-and Josie would rather help her sister than admit she wants something for herself.”

Hope sighs in agreement.

“I’m glad they talked about it.”

*

Penelope scrunches her face and rubs at her arm. 

Hope’s eyebrows draw together. “Is your arm still bothering you?”

“Yeah. It comes and goes.”

“What do you mean?”

Penelope shrugs. “It feels like needles prickling at my skin. But not all the time. It feels funny for a few moments before stopping and prickling again.”

Excitement sparkles in Hope’s eyes. “Morse code!”

“What?”

“Does it seem like a pattern? Like it’s on repeat?!”

Penelope feels her eyes widen as she tries to find a meaning at the prickling in her arm. “3 dots, 4 dots, 3 dashes, 1 dot.”

“That’s it?” Hope tilts her head to the side in question. “S, H, O, E?”

Penelope grabs Hope’s arm and shakes it, unable to contain her excitement. “It’s from Josie! Our Josie!”

“How do you know?”

“I just do!”

“Why would Josie say ‘Shoe’? What the hell does that mean?”

“Nothing.” Penelope says quickly a faint blush coming onto her cheeks. “I mean, nothing you need to know about. It’s just something only I could understand.”

Hope wears a mischievous grin. “Is it like a bedroom thing?”

“What are you talking about?” 

“You know, like a code or something.” Hope grins as she waggles her eyebrows. “When Lizzie and I role-play, we usually-”

Penelope claps a hand over Hope’s mouth her blush rising on her cheeks. “Hope, do not finish this sentence!”

*

“How could she send you a message?”

Penelope is quiet for a minute, seeming deep in thought, mulling Hope’s question over. “Body and spirit.” She takes a deep breath. “Our spirit may be here, but we’re still linked to our body just as our counterparts are linked to theirs.”

“Does that mean we can send an answer back? We can communicate with them?” Hope smiles.

“I guess we can.” Penelope lets out a chuckle, matching Hope’s smile.

*

“L,A,C,E,S? Shoelaces? That sounds like code for something really naughty...”

“Hope, shut up!” Penelope groans annoyed as Hope waggles her eyebrows at her.

*

Hope shakes her head in disbelief. “You don’t know how to tie your shoelaces?!” 

“I do now.” Penelope mumbles visibly annoyed. “Josie showed me.” 

Penelope can’t help the small smile that comes to her lips as she recalls Josie's patience and... creative ways to make her understand how to master tying laces. 

“You make me wear those ridiculous finger shoes when we go running, because you can’t tie your laces?” 

Penelope scoffs. “I didn’t make you wear them.” 

“You talked my ears off about their benefits over regular shoes.” Hope points an accusing finger at her best friend. “You tricked me!” 

Penelope rolls her eyes. “Convinced.” 

Hope narrows her eyes. “Just semantics…” 

She softens her tone. “Why not just tell me?” 

Penelope shrugs. 

She searches for the words to explain. “We’d just started getting along, and I–” Penelope pauses and shuts her eyes before admitting the truth. “I didn’t want you to think I was too lame to spend time with, because of something so trivial.” 

Hope approaches Penelope and bumps her shoulder with her own. “I spend a lot of time with you even though I think you’re lame.” 

Penelope shoves at Hope’s shoulder playfully. “According to MG, I’m the top bitch here!” 

*

Their excitement at being able to communicate back and forth with the other world is cut short at the five-letter name they receive.

“S,I,L,A,S.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always highly appreciated !  
Stay safe !
> 
> 23/07 : Little bonus scene added towards the end to thank you for patiently waiting for next chapter.


	8. “I’d vote for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is doing ok. Stay safe.
> 
> Sorry for the long, wait just swamped with work, but juste thinking about your comments and love is the best fuel to keep on writing!
> 
> We're staying with Penelope and Hope in the parallel world almost 'till the end.
> 
> Hope you like the different interactions in this chapter.
> 
> see you soon.

Penelope looks outside the window absentmindedly rubbing at her arm. 

It’s that moment when the sun sets and the night comes. When the colors of the sky are mixed like on a painter’s palette. 

Penelope doesn’t see any of it, her mind unable to go beyond the news that Silas is in this world – his mere presence, a threat on this world’s Raven Coven. She closes her fists and takes a deep breath to escape the cloud of sorrow and desperation taking over her mind. 

“Silas!’ Hope’s tone drips of disdain. “I should’ve killed him when I had the chance!” Hope’s exclamation cuts into her dark thoughts making her turn away from the window.

“I won’t spare him again.” Hope insists. 

Penelope eyes her silently and Hope’s getting ready to fight her best friend if she’s still keen on showing him any kind of mercy.

“Good.” Penelope’s tone is calm and even, but her eyes… her eyes are blazing and Hope almost feels sorry for Silas.

“Good.”

*

“I think we have an advantage over him.”

Hope furrows her brow in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“He wanted to go back in time - in our world - not land in a parallel world.”

“That’s what Freya thinks.” Hope nods.

Penelope runs a hand through her dark black hair. “I don’t think he knows he brought us here with him.”

Hope’s eyebrows raise a fraction of an inch. “He’s in for a surprise…”

“Yeah.”

A crease forms between Hope’s eyebrows as she asks the question. “What do you think his plan is?”

“He needs the whole Raven Coven at one place at the same time.” Penelope swallows. “He’ll have to get me before the twins, and then…he’ll…” She stops and quickly wipes away the tears threatening at her eyes.

“The next vacation break is a couple of months away.” 

“I’ll have to ask the twins if we’re supposed to go back home for the break…” 

“They should be safe until then. He won’t risk attacking the Coven with the three of you here.”

Penelope nods. There’s a fiery determination in her green eyes when she looks at Hope. “I want to train them. I need to know they can defend themselves.”

“Of course.”

*

Hope leans back on Penelope’s door and lets out a slow breath. She works on her breathing for a moment before pushing herself from the door and head to her room.

“You do know there’s something called ‘curfew’ in this school, right?”

Hope snaps her head around at Lizzie’s voice, the taller girl staring down at her. Again. 

Only this time, Hope’s insides are bursting with anger, looking for a release. This time, as Hope stares at Lizzie, she’s reminded of the angst and heartbreak her teenage-self had felt.

“What’s your problem Elisabeth?”

Lizzie takes a step back, clearly not expecting such animosity from Hope.

“You! I hate you!” Lizzie spits, having found some of her backbone.

Hope lets out a humorless chuckle. “Do you even know why?”

Lizzie opens her mouth to speak but closes it again, repeating the action a few more times, without any sound coming off.

Hope takes a step forward making Lizzie walk backwards. “Don’t you wonder why you feel the need to know everything about someone you’re supposed to hate?” 

“Why you always find something to say to someone you’re supposed to hate?” Another step forward – another step backwards. 

“What does it really mean?” Another step forward – another step backwards.

Lizzie’s back hits the wall, Hope only inches away, close – too close – but still far enough so as not touch her. Their gazes locked on each other. 

Hope goes up on her tip toes and Lizzie involuntarily closes her eyes and parts her lips. “What if…”, she whispers by Lizzie’s ear, sending a wave of shivers down the witch’s spine, “-it’s not… hate?” she asks before pulling away and walking to her dorm room leaving a wide-eyed and heavily breathing Lizzie in the hallway.

*

When Dr Saltzman’s class is – finally – over, Hope gathers her things trying to shake herself awake. Just as she walks towards Penelope, already waiting for her outside class, a hard body bumps into her. 

There’s a soft “Sorry,” whispered before Lizzie pushes past Penelope and rushes away, her face and neck an alarming shade of pink.

Penelope looks at Lizzie’s retreating figure before raising an eyebrow in question at Hope.

Hope smiles sheepishly. “I might have given her a little push in the right direction. Help her realize that what she feels is not hate.” 

Penelope snorts. “That sounds more like a shove,” she does air quotes, “than a little push.”

Hope rolls her eyes. “Might just save her, and this world’s Hope, some heartbreak.”

*

Penelope steps out the library and into the hallway and stops in surprise at all the “I’m with her” posters from Lizzie’s campaign she doesn’t remember seeing earlier.

A loud crash comes from the end of the hallway. Josie’s on her knees trying to gather the posters and tape that fell on the floor.

“Need some help?”

Josie startles but upon realizing its Penelope’s voice, her expression goes from embarrassed to disgusted in mere seconds. “From you? Not really.”

Penelope shrugs; She bends down to retrieve a poster and looks at it. “Why are you running Lizzie’s campaign?”

Josie rolls her eyes exasperatedly. “She’s my sister!” 

Penelope frowns. “You’re only helping her because she’s your sister?”

“Lizzie’s the best candidate for the witches of this school!” Josie scoffs at her and goes back to her fallen posters.

Penelope is quiet. Hope’s words from earlier replaying in her mind. She knows she shouldn’t interfere, leave Park and this Josie work out their complicated relationship on their own.

She makes a split-second decision and grabs Josie’s wrist pulling her up and into an empty classroom. “Come on.”

“What are you doing? Let go of me!” Josie exclaims as she fights Penelope’s hold on her wrist.

Penelope pulls her inside and closes the door behind them before releasing Josie’s wrist. “Just 5 minutes of your time. Please, that’s all I’m asking.”

“You don’t deserve a second of my time!” 

“I figured you’d say that.” Penelope mutters. “I’ve enchanted the door to open in 5 minutes so you’re kind of stuck with me.” She shrugs. “Hearing me out will make the time pass faster…”

“I didn’t hear you cast a spell.” Josie says as she pushes past her and tries the door but it won’t budge open. “It’s closed. How-”

Penelope starts talking hoping to divert Josie’s attention from her wordless cast spelling.

“We both know Lizzie’s not the right candidate for the student council. Lizzie doesn’t really care about the witches, or the school or anyone besides herself...” 

Josie crosses her arms and rolls her eyes. “Is this going to be 5 minutes of badmouthing my twin?”

Penelope shakes her head sheepishly. “No, sorry, that didn’t come out right.”

Josie raises her eyebrows in surprise.

Penelope takes a deep breath. “The witches need someone who’ll listen to them, someone who cares, someone who’ll fight for them but also for what’s right for the school.” She runs her hand in her hair. “Lizzie’s good in communication and in organizing events. That’s not what the witches need from their representative.” 

Josie’s face still looks sour and exasperated but there’s also something else behind her brown eyes that makes Penelope keep trying to convince teenage Josie to take a stand, something she knows her Josie regretted not doing sooner. A little push in the right direction.

“They need someone like you. They need… you.” She tells her earnestly.

“What?”

“Every sentence in Lizzie’s program comes from you. You’re the one who convinced your father of the need of a Student Council in the first place-”

“How do you know that?” Josie interrupts her.

Penelope hesitates and internally chastises herself for her slip up. “Not to be disrespectful to your dad, but everyone knows where his best ideas come from…” 

Penelope looks up at Josie noticing how alike and, at the same time, how different she looks from her world’s twenty-six years old Josie. 

“Talk to Lizzie. Tell her you want this. Tell her how important this is to you.” Penelope insists.

Josie chews on her bottom lip.

“She’s your sister, she’ll step down… for you.” A sheepish expression overtakes Penelope’s face. “I’d vote for you.” She shrugs again.

Josie remains silent, her arms still crossed, for a few moments. “The door’s still locked. Is there anything else?”

Penelope gives her a surprised look. Josie’s voice still sounds exasperated, but it lacks its usual bite.

A thought forms in Penelope’s mind. An image of something. Something she’d never imagine possible… She takes a deep breath, trying to keep her voice from quivering.

“My younger siblings, Petra and Percy, just started their first year at the school.”

Josie uncrosses her arms. “I don’t recall meeting any Parks when I greeted the new students…”

“I showed them around. I didn’t want anyone to know they were my siblings.” Penelope shakes her head. “I asked them to pretend they weren’t my family because of some stupid image thing. What kind of person does that? An ass, that’s who! But that’s not what-” Penelope stops and shakes her head again. “They’re really great. Smart and funny and kind.” She swallows thickly.  
“Could-could you talk to them? Introduce yourself? Not for me, for them, for you. You’ll like them, I promise. They’ll probably talk you ears off though, so you can’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Penelope chuckles and Josie lets a soft smile grace her face.

There’s a clicking sound signaling the end of Penelope’s spell. Penelope walks to the door and opens it wide.

“Thank you for listening Josie.”

Josie nods. When she reaches the door, she stops and whispers, “Sorry for blowing you up.” then rushes away, a pink color on her cheeks. 

*

“Why are you two late?”

Penelope glances at Hope and smirks. “We were training and lost track of time.” Penelope explains to the Park twins as she sits down for dinner.

“Training?” asks Percy.

“Martial arts.” Hope shrugs.

Petra’s forehead creases in confusion. “Why would you need to know martial arts? We’re witches!” 

Penelope raises an eyebrow. “You can’t only rely on spells and potions.”

The twins look at each other in thought before nodding once. “That makes sense.” Percy says. “Can we train with you?” Petra asks excitedly. 

Hope tries to hide the smile from her face at how well their plan is going – Penelope had told her earlier that the easiest way to get the twins to do something was to tell them they weren’t allowed to. “No way! You’re too young!”

Petra huffs and crosses her arms sending dark glare. “Even more the reason why we shouldn’t only rely on spells and potions-”

“which, by the way, we don’t know much about, since we just started school-”

“and also because our dear older sister-” Petra turns her glare at Penelope who holds her hands up, “doesn’t want to teach us how to tune-spell!”

“That means we’re practically defenseless-” Percy whispers, a slight tremor in his voice.

Petra gasps, her eyes starting to well up with tears. “Vulnerable-”

“Weak.” Percy looks up, first at Penelope then at Hope, his green eyes, wide open, his lips trembling.

Hope looks at Penelope like a deer caught in the headlights – making little kids cry was not part of their plan, dammit! “Ok, ok, you can train with us. Penelope will teach you all about spell-tuning, right Penelope?”

Penelope half snorts, half laughs at Hope. “Right.”

“We’re free tomorrow afternoon.” Petra announces and sends a smug grin at her brother.

“There a million spells combinations I’d love to try!” Percy exclaims and starts listing ideas about new spells. “Like with the pigmentation spell, instead of just changing someone’s skin’s pigmentation, what if-”

Penelope shakes her head in amusement as Hope realizes she was just played by the twins.

*

Penelope frowns. She’s gotten used to the routine of the last few days. Not finding the twins waiting for Hope and her outside their last class is… unsettling. Fear creeps up on her and she rushes in the hallway, a confused Hope following closely behind.

Fear is soon replaced by something else. Something indescribable that makes her heart soar. Down the hallway, the little Parks are smiling at Josie. Petra says something and Josie throws her head back and laughs.

“Josie’s talking to the twins. How did that happen?”

Penelope shrugs. “Gave her a little push in the right direction, I guess.”

“Are you alright?”

“They were in their Raven form. They’ve seen her – they were pretty annoying actually, always making kissing noises whenever she was close - but Josie… never saw them. She’ll never meet them.” Penelope replies, fighting hard to keep her emotions at bay.

“They seem to get along.”

Penelope sighs. She keeps her gaze on them, drinking the three of them in when MG bumps into her shoulder.

“Oh sorry. I’m so, so sorry!” MG starts apologizing when another student rushes by almost running into him this time.

“What’s the rush?” Hope asks him as more and more students rush down the hallway.

“It’s Lizzie! She said she has an announcement to make about her campaign. Are you coming?” 

Penelope looks at Hope curiously and they both follow MG.

There’s already a crowd of students around Lizzie who has already started talking. “I wanted to clarify what the ‘I’m with her’ means : I’m with our candidate, I’m with Josie Saltzman! I’m with her!” Lizzie exclaims revealing a new poster for the Student Council campaign showing Josie as the witch’s candidate. The crowd parts and Josie joins her sister. They’re smiling at each other, Josie laughs at something her twin says.

“Are you with her too?” Lizzie screams and gets everyone chanting “I’m with her!” including Penelope and Hope.

Hope turns to wink at Penelope making her best friend smile. “That must’ve been quite the push!”


	9. Look, it’s a letter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'd like to apologize for the lack of updates. I now have a bit more time to write!  
This chapter is shorter than it should've been but I didn't want to make you wait longer for it, so here it is. The good news is that next chapter is half written!

Penelope waits for Hope who’s, once again, held after class by Dr.Saltzman to talk about her attitude. 

Penelope inwardly smiles at the irony. Would Dr.Saltzman believe her if she told him that in another world, Hope Mikaelson was not only an esteemed professor but also his soon-to-be daughter in law?

Thinking about their world, makes Josie’s - her Josie’s – face materialize at the forefront of her thoughts. The longing overwhelms her senses. She wishes she could get back to her as soon as possible. 

But going back, means facing Silas again and putting this world’s Park family in danger! 

She’s certain Silas is bidding his time. Waiting to attack the Raven Coven as soon as every member of the coven was back together.

From what she gathered from the twins, they weren’t supposed to go back to Orleans before a couple of months. 

She can wait two months. She has to be patient. Stay calm and not let the fear of losing everyone again drown her.

“Penelope!”

Penelope turns at the sound of Percy’s voice, her somber thoughts already lightening up. 

Her younger siblings run towards her excitement oozing from them. Penelope arches a perfectly shaped eyebrow in question, wondering what got them so excited.

“Penelope! Look, it’s a letter.” Percy says out of breath when he reaches her.

“A letter, really Percy?” Penelope smiles amused at what is indeed a letter he’s holding in his hand.

“She can see it’s a letter Percy.” Petra huffs at her brother as she joins them.

Percy rolls her eyes at the both of them in annoyance. “Of course, it’s a letter! But not any letter, it’s a letter from Mama and Papa.” 

Penelope’s eyes widen in surprise at Percy’s words.

“They send the pictures from before school started.” Percy adds as he takes the pictures from the envelope and flips through them until he finds the one’s he’s looking for. 

“This one is of all of us together!”. He hands the picture to Penelope. 

Penelope swallows hard, her heart beating a mile a minute, as she looks at the picture of their family. Their parents are smiling at each other, the twins are making bunny ears at everyone while her teenage counterpart rolls her eyes.

She doesn’t have any pictures of her own family. There wasn’t much left in her house after the attack. 

“Mind if I keep it?” Penelope asks her voice shaky. She doesn’t dare look at the twins from fear they’ll see the tears brimming her eyes.

Thankfully for Penelope, the twins’ attention is diverted by Josie who rushes across from them her arms full of brightly colored flyers.

“What are those flyers about, Josie?” Petra asks loudly.

Josie abruptly stops and glances behind her in surprise. “Sorry Petra, I didn’t see you.” 

“So, what’s on the flyers?” Percy insists, curiosity dancing in his eyes.

Josie smiles. “The student council is organizing a talent competition next month, and everyone is welcome to try.”

“A talent competition?!” Petra gasps and looks at her twin who quirks an eyebrow in response a silent communication happening between them.

“It’s in a month from now and-”

“Sign us in!” The twins exclaim together interrupting Josie.

“Oh.” Josie scrunches her nose. She looks at Penelope in question, and Penelope rolls her eyes a fond smile on her face. “Okay. Great.”

Penelope raises an eyebrow at the twins. “Do you two even know what you’re going to do?” 

Petra turns towards his twin, mischief dancing in his eyes. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking Petra?” Petra nods excitedly and they walk away whispering to one another.

“What, no goodbye older and wiser sister?” Penelope calls out after them.

Josie stifles a laugh. “What happened to not wanting to be associated with them? 

Penelope rolls her eyes but smiles fondly. “That was when I thought I was the cool one in the family. Now they’re signing up for a talent show…” she trails off, amusement dancing in her eyes.

Josie tilts her head to the side. “You could enter the competition too you know. You can still be… cool.”

“No, thank you.” Penelope scoffs. “I’d rather boo and heckle the twins’ competition!”

Josie looks at her, a small pout tugging at her lips. “I’m thinking of competing…”

Penelope laughs, gently. “Ok, I’ll cheer for you too – but I’m still making fun of everyone else!”

Josie bits her lip and looks down at Penelope´s words. Her eyes land on the picture Penelope still holds in her hand.

“What’s that?” Josie asks.

Penelope shrugs. “Our parents sent the twins some pictures.” 

“Can I see?”

Penelope shows Josie the photograph. “Guess where the bored teenager is?” 

Josie laughs. She squints at the photo in thought. “You three really take after your mother.”

Penelope looks at the picture and absentmindly, almost reverently, traces her mother’s face with the tip of her finger. Her jet-black hair, her almond shaped eyes, her smile...

“You miss them?” Josie frames it as a question but it’s more a realization she makes. 

“Everyday.” Penelope whispers but Josie hears her. She can’t miss the pain in Penelope’s voice. 

Penelope discreetly blinks the tears away from her eyes and focuses back on Josie. 

“Need some help with those flyers?”

***

Penelope hands off the talent-show’s flyers at the passing students when Hope appears next to her. 

“What are you doing?” Hope hisses.

Penelope looks surprised at Hope’s tone of voice. “I’m handing out these flyers for a talent competition organized by the student council. Want one?”

“Dammit Penelope that’s not what I asked!”

Penelope furrows her eyebrows confused. “You literally just asked me what I was doing…”

“You were talking to Josie.” Hope grumbles.

“We were talking about the talent competition.” Penelope shoves a flyer under Hope’s nose. “The twins want to compete in it.”

Hope softens her tone. “She’s falling for you…”

Penelope glances wide-eyed at Hope. “What? No. She was already in love with Park.”

“Maybe, but she’s falling for you now.”

Penelope’s mouth opens and closes, like a gasping fish, but no sound comes off.

***

“A magic show, but instead of common magician’s tricks, we’ll use spells-”

“-but not any spells…”

“Tuned spells!” Petra and Percy exclaim at the same time as they plop down at their usual breakfast table, Penelope and Hope following them.

Penelope laughs softly, shaking her head. “That’s a great idea.” 

“Have you given a thought about what spells you’ll use?” Hope asks them, taking a sip at her coffee.

As if waiting to be asked about it, the twins give them a detailed list of the spells they want to use - a mix of an invisibility, a pigmentation and an illusion spell. They’re so engrossed in a play by play description of their act that Penelope has to threaten them with a silencing spell if they don’t finish their, now, cold breakfast.

“You know, what would make this a winner?” Petra says around a mouthful of food with smiling eyes and a dangerous grin.

“Something with fire?” Hope smirks teasingly and Penelope throws her a look that clearly says ‘Please don’t encourage them’.

“You.” Percy shrugs looking at Penelope.

Penelope feels her eyebrows shoot up. “What?”

“Picture it, Penelope, the three of us on stage…”

Penelope chokes on air. “No way. No, no, absolutely no.”

“But Penelope…” Petra gives her older sister a pleading look.

“No.” Penelope shakes her head and starts to get up from her seat.

“Penelope…” Petra and Percy say at the same, sending her their best pout, their voices wobbling a little.

Penelope lets out a long sigh and pinches the bridge of her nose. “I’ll think about it.”

“Yes! Thank you, Penelope!” Petra and Percy’s faces light up. They stand up and high five each other before taking their tray waving goodbye at Hope and Penelope.

“I just said I’ll think about it!” Penelope calls after them.

Penelope plops down on her chair and groans.

“Why do you even try, you know you don’t stand a chance against them?” Hope shrugs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Take care everyone.


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